


a Slytherin, a Ravenclaw, and three Hufflepuffs

by justadreamfox



Series: Andrew Goes to Hogwarts [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AFTG Exchange, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Gen, Gift Fic, Harry Potter Cameo, alternative universe, andreil meet-cute, cw: references to abuse, cw: very brief mention of self harm, fluffy cupcake fluff, neil is a happy little menace, this is total fluff, twinyard meet-cute, unmentioned NottPott - more later if i write more in this AU, wizardry and witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:00:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24501211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justadreamfox/pseuds/justadreamfox
Summary: Andrew goes to Hogwarts.We're all happy little fluff-gremlins here.
Relationships: Aaron Minyard & Andrew Minyard, Andrew Minyard & Harry Potter, Andrew Minyard & Renee Walker, Jeremy Knox & Andrew Minyard, Neil Josten & Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten & Andrew Minyard
Series: Andrew Goes to Hogwarts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1914961
Comments: 32
Kudos: 230
Collections: AFTG Exchange Spring 2020





	a Slytherin, a Ravenclaw, and three Hufflepuffs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nerdzeword](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdzeword/gifts).



> Happiest of Spring Exchange to you Sam! 
> 
> You wanted a Harry Potter AU and I had insider knowledge of how you would sort our Foxes and well - this is what happened. 
> 
> I humbly beg forgiveness from the Harry Potter fandom. I tried. I researched stuff and everything. To be fair - Sam is usually my touchstone for HP lore so, it is what it is. 
> 
> Much love to [makebelieveanything](https://archiveofourown.org/users/makebelieveanything/) for the beta and the cheerleading!

Andrew padded downstairs in his socked feet, pulling over the stool to stand on so he could look through the peephole and see who had rung the doorbell. It was Andrew’s eleventh birthday, but he was all alone in the Spear’s tidy brownstone. His foster mom had surprised him that morning with the news that his “brother” Drake would be home for a visit just in time for his birthday, and Cass and Richard had gone to pick him up from the train station. 

If anyone had asked Andrew - and if he actually answered - he’d have said that the one thing he would want for his birthday was for Drake _not_ to be there. Well, that and chocolate cake. But Drake not being there was more important. No one had asked Andrew though, which was why he was here alone, peeping through a peephole to see a man with dark hair and glasses standing smartly at their door. 

If Andrew were any other kid, he might not have answered. But Andrew wasn’t any other kid and he knew that doors didn’t keep monsters out. He had no more reason to be frightened of a stranger than he did of a foster family. Plus he was curious - this stranger’s clothing was weird, and he had an odd looking letter in his hand. Andrew opened the door.

“Hello Andrew,” the man said. “You _are_ Andrew aren’t you? You look about the right age. I’m Professor Potter. Harry Potter.” He smiled, but it was a careful smile, starting with his eyes but hiding his teeth, and it was honest. Andrew had learned what honest smiles looked like - he’d had a lot of dishonest ones to compare them to.

Andrew wrinkled his brow, and found he wasn’t quite ready to say anything. Why would a professor be asking for him? He leaned his cheek against the door, not opening it all the way. “Yes, I am Andrew,” he finally said.

“Oh good,” Professor Potter said. “Are your parents at home as well?”

Andrew hesitated. That wasn’t a question he was supposed to answer, but, something about Professor Potter put him at ease. He figured it couldn’t hurt, and if he had to he could probably slam the door and lock the bolt before anything could happen. Andrew was fast and strong for his age (though not always fast enough, not always strong enough). He thought maybe he could get the door closed if he had to. “My foster parents,” he corrected. “They went to the train station, they will be back any time now.” (A lie, they had just left, really.)

Professor Potter regarded him, tilting his head. Andrew saw something register in his face but he didn’t recognize it. Potter took a step back. Then one more, and then smiled that smile with his eyes again, though the sides of his mouth didn’t lift quite as far. “Would you come outside and talk to me?” Potter glanced over at the rocking chairs on the front stoop. “You sit in one, I’ll sit in the other, and I won’t come close.”

Andrew gazed at him warily. What an odd request. He wasn’t used to adults asking him if things are okay, and he was curious - something about Professor Potter, something about the letter in his hand had Andrew buzzing. So he stepped out, closed the door, precociously nodded at the farthest chair to indicate that he himself would take the one closest to the door.

As he passed the first chair, Professor Potter dropped the letter into it. “That’s for you,” he said over his shoulder before sitting in the farthest chair, his midnight blue robes swirling around him before settling.

Andrew picked up the letter. It was addressed to him - Andrew Doe - with this address: the Spears residence, 421 Sprocket Lane, Oxfordshire. It was sealed with thick red wax pressed against the envelope flap, and Andrew felt his breath catch as he opened it; it made the most satisfying crack. 

He read the letter quickly. Hogwarts? Witchcraft and wizardry? What...was this...was this a joke? Andrew frowned up at Professor Potter. Adults didn’t usually play jokes. Adults lied, and they hurt, and they disappointed, but they didn’t usually joke.  
  
“What is this?” Andrew asked him. 

“You are a wizard Andrew,” Professor Potter said kindly, that smile still playing across his face. “Or you will be, one day. Magic is real, and there are whole schools where children go to learn it. Here in the United Kingdom our school is Hogwarts, and there is a place for you there.”

Andrew gaped at him, ignoring the impossible for a moment to focus on the practical. “I can’t,” he said. “I’m a foster kid. I can’t afford a special school.”

Potter shook his head. “It doesn’t cost anything Andrew,” but then he paused. “Well, you will need some things - books, robes, a wand...but once you are at Hogwarts you won’t have to worry about money. Once you are accepted, you are accepted. I can explain it all to your parents -” he held his hand up before Andrew protested “- your foster parents I mean. I can explain it all to them when they come home. That’s why I am here.”

Andrew stared at Potter, thinking hard, then looked down at the letter in his hand, tracing his fingers over the ink, over the heavy embossed paper. There was a list tucked behind the letter - books and things, something about an owl or a cat or a toad? It looked so official. 

If Andrew were any other kid, he might scoff and walk away, slam the door in Potter’s face, throw the letter in the trash. But Andrew had always felt different, and staring at the letter in his hand he couldn’t stop his eidetic mind from running play by play through the unexplained things that had happened in his life; the time his first abuser had inexplicably crashed their car the morning after the first time he’d tried to touch Andrew, or how his second abuser had slipped and fell and hit his head, winding up in a coma, or his third….how Drake had never really managed to get him alone, although Andrew _knew_ that he wanted to. Had watched him try. Had somehow foiled him, but only barely. 

Andrew was terrified of spending another year avoiding Drake, but somehow...somehow this could be worth it. He looked up at Potter, his eyes shining fiercely.

“Do you have to tell them? My foster parents? Is it okay...can you just tell me what I need to do to get there?”

Potter regarded him, every bit of smile dropping off his face as he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. His smile was gone, but his face was still something Andrew somehow knew he could trust and that was the most shocking of all to Andrew - more shocking than the letter, more shocking than a school of magic hidden away that had his name on the acceptance list.

“Is there a reason you don’t want me to tell them?” Potter asked. His voice was even. Andrew considered it, considered telling him. But no, he’d told before. It didn’t go well. He might trust this man’s face, but not enough to risk this. Even if it wasn’t real, the mere chance that it was - the possibility of escaping - was worth it.

“Yes,” Andrew said, because he didn’t like to lie. “But I can handle it.” He pushed his chin out, every inch of his eleven year old body braced to hear the _no_ , to be laughed at - to be pushed aside and disregarded in favor of adults who had never done anything but hurt him. Even Cass. Cass who had turned her eyes away when Andrew had flinched from Drake’s touch. He knew she had seen it. This home was both worse and better than all the others, because while there was Drake, there was also Cass. That night Cass had made him his favorite cookies and hugged him tightly. That night Andrew had started to hate hugs.

Potter hadn’t moved, didn’t speak for a few minutes. “I can help you, if you’d like,” he said softly, that something in his face sparking again as he gazed intently at Andrew. 

Andrew wanted to believe him, to trust him. He wanted to. But Andrew was a fast learner, and he’d learned long ago to believe no one, to trust no one. It was a heavy lesson on his young shoulders, but a lesson nonetheless. 

“If it’s just the same, I can handle it,” Andrew hesitated. “That is, if you will tell me what I need to do.”

Andrew stared at him, waiting for the verdict, his hope caught in his throat. He didn’t know he could hope any more but, here he was. Magic. Wizardry. A way out.

After the longest moment of Andrew’s short life, Potter nodded. “Do you want to go inside and get something to write with? This will be a lot of information and it’s all very different from what you know about the world.”

  
Andrew’s breath left him in relief and he gulped in air. He shook his head no fiercely, and finally sat down on the other rocking chair. “No, I will remember everything. And we have about thirty minutes before they are back.” 

Professor Potter’s smile crept back onto the corner of his mouth, peeked out of the edges of his eyes, and he settled comfortably in his chair as he started to recite instructions for Andrew. 

***

Andrew had memorized everything. It wasn’t hard, for him. When he thought maybe it had been a fever dream, that maybe his panicked mind had dreamt it all up as an escape when he found out Drake would be home for the winter, he would sneak up to his room to pull out the letter with his name on it. He would run his fingers along the paper, feel the assurance of his place at Hogwarts, remember Professor Potter and his kind, calm face and his smiles that only told the truth. 

Somehow Andrew managed to keep Drake away from him that winter: always a lock that wouldn’t turn on the door, or Cass walking by at the wrong (right) time. There were touches here and there, but his foster brother never managed to get him alone - not truly alone - before he was gone again for training come March. 

Meanwhile, Andrew had picked up jobs - mowing lawns and walking dogs for the neighbors after school. When Cass asked him what he was working so hard for, he lied and said he’d always wanted a bike. When Cass, smiling, bought him a bike, he’d used it to get a job delivering papers. She hadn’t asked again after that, but he’d felt her concerned gaze on him as he’d head out for his delivery before school, and she woke every morning with him, leaving a glass of milk and a small pastry waiting just for him on the kitchen table. 

Andrew wanted to love her, he wanted to believe, and he almost convinced himself that maybe Hogwarts _wasn’t_ real, and Cass would love him and adopt him - finally he would be happy, he would be safe, he would be loved. But then Drake had come home again, and as Andrew was pinned to the couch by a game of “tickle,” hands hidden between them and touching, _always touching_ , he’d seen Cass’s eyes slide away from him, seen the smile falter, seen her walk away from him into the kitchen, her back turned. 

***

Eight months after his 11th birthday, Andrew was ready - as ready as he ever could be. He stood outside the Spears’ brownstown, nothing but a backpack on his back, sweating in the sun under his long sleeve t-shirt, his baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. 

Drake had been “honorably discharged” from the Royal Marines to come home that May and Andrew almost hadn’t made it the last few months. He had pulled up the dregs of his reserve, torn an edge off of his well worn letter from Hogwarts to keep pressed into this pocket as a reminder that he was getting _out_ , and when that had failed, he had started to carve his fear and frustration and anger into his forearms. 

In the meantime, Andrew had arranged things: a delicate balance of coordinating his release back into the system at exactly the right time after insinuating certain things to his caseworker Higgins. It had taken some thought, and careful timing, but currently everyone tasked with keeping up with him thought he was supposed to be somewhere else for the next six months (and people wondered how kids “disappeared” from the system).

But now, this was it, this was the moment. Professor Potter had said he would come for him, had said he would take him to Diagon Alley to buy his books and his robes, had said he would take him to King’s Cross to board the Hogwarts Express. He had promised. _He had promised._

Yet as Andrew stood in the heat, with his meagre possessions, with every bit of money he had been able to scrape together through his odd jobs squirreled away in his pack, he started to doubt. That doubt crept into his brain in a way that he hadn’t let happen in the past eight months. He hadn’t thought past this moment, past getting here - past a rescue he couldn’t afford not to believe in. 

Just as Andrew had started to work himself up into a true panic, he heard a pop and a fizzle, and then a shiny green vintage Jaguar XJS with a single off-center white racing stripe rolled to a stop in front of Andrew. Nothing happened for a moment, and Andrew thought he might faint from waiting, but finally the door opened and that familiar dark head popped out above it, the honest smile tugging at his lips. 

“Ready then Andrew?” Professor Potter asked. 

Andrew clenched his jaw together to keep his mouth from falling open, and he nodded vigorously. 

_This was real, this was real, this was real_ , and he was never - _ever_ \- going back. 

***

Diagon Alley was nothing short of everything Andrew’s dreams were made of. Andrew had shyly showed Potter the money he had earned, and Potter had smiled approvingly, taking him into Gringotts to exchange it for Galleons. (Which was run by Goblins? WHAT? Andrew played it cool, it was fine, totally fine.) 

After that was butterbeer and sandwiches at the Leaky Cauldron (Potter’s treat, he’d insisted, and Andrew had nodded solemnly, as if he were used to adults _treating_ him anything but poorly). Andrew thought he might expire from euphoria over the sweet buttery goodness of the butterbeer - it was better than any cookie Cass had ever made him. Sated, they went shopping, and Andrew gaped wide-eyed as Potter steered him through the cobblestone streets. 

He found the books on his well-worn list at Flourish and Blotts, his robes at Madam Malkin’s, and finally they stopped at Ollivander's. Potter left him there with a wink, telling him that a man could only find his true wand on his own. Andrew had nodded like he had any idea what was going on, and yet somehow with minimal scorching and very little of his hard earned money left, he’d walked out of Olivander’s with his wand (yew wood, 10 inches, unicorn hair core, unbending flexibility) gripped tightly in his determined hand. 

After a day of shopping followed by dinner and another butterbeer, they’d spent the night at the Leaky Cauldron (Potter’s treat - _again_ ). Andrew had a brief surge of doubt as they climbed the stairs after dinner, but was relieved to find himself tucked away in his own small room with a lock on the door. The next morning, with his books and his robes and his wand stored in a small trunk that Potter had brought for him (he’d said it was his own from his first year days - Andrew didn’t know what to say about that, but he’d thanked him, and he’d meant it), they’d found themselves at Kings Cross station, Andrew fighting not to fidget as he watched an entire family disappear into a railway station column. 

“Platform nine and three-quarters Andrew,” Potter said, looking down at him. “Like I told you. It was just as daunting the first time I did it, oh...however many years ago. You’ll be fine - look - I have an idea.” Potter smiled over his shoulder. “Jeremy!” he called a little louder. 

Andrew whipped around. A boy about his age - but taller - with a smile full of teeth and a mop of sandy blond hair was jogging over to them. “Professor Potter!” 

“Jeremy, how are you? Excited for your first year?” Potter asked the new kid warmly.

Jeremy nodded, glancing curiously over at Andrew. “Yes sir.”

“Good, I’m sure your older sisters have told you everything you need to know.” Potter turned back to Andrew. “Jeremy’s from an old wizarding family - he’d be a good friend to make. Andrew - Jeremy. Jeremy - Andrew.” Potter stepped a bit back and Andrew forced himself to hold his ground. He’d never had a friend. Other foster kids, yeah - kids he had taken care of before he’d come to the Spears house, kids he protected. Andrew found himself frozen, unsure of what to do. 

Jeremy didn’t seem to have his hang-ups, and the boy thrust his hand out towards Andrew for a handshake. When Andrew didn’t take it, Jeremy just dropped his hand and smiled. “Hi,” he said. “I’m happy to meet you Andrew.”

“Okay,” Andrew said, and he just managed to not wince at his own awkwardness. 

Potter chuckled next to them, but it wasn’t unkind. “Jeremy can you help Andrew get sorted? Really I need to head back to school, and well, no one really wants a professor on the train.”

“Of course Professor,” Jeremy nodded. 

Potter turned to Andrew, “I’ll see you in class Andrew. Jeremy’s good people, you’re in good hands.” Andrew nodded back at him, trying his hardest to tamp down the panic bubbling up. 

“Thank you,” Andrew managed. “For everything.”

As Andrew watched Professor Potter walk away, he was momentarily sidetracked by another boy staring at him intently. He was as short as Andrew, with floppy auburn hair and intense ice blue eyes, and he was tugging on the sleeve of a taller dark haired kid who had his back turned to Andrew. The boy took a step towards Andrew, but was suddenly distracted when a kitten leapt out of some hidden place in his robes.

“Andrew?” Andrew tore his gaze away from the redhead and the kitten debacle to look at Jeremy. The kid was smiling at him - did he ever stop smiling? But Andrew was out of his element, and he somewhat trusted Potter not to leave him in the wrong hands. (Somewhat - the jury was still out, but the butterbeer had helped.) Now here he stood, wearing wizard’s robes and in possession of his very own magic wand. Well, he might as well leap all the way off the building. Andrew nodded at Jeremy, attempted a small smile in return, and followed his new friend through a concrete column and onto Platform 9 ¾. 

***

Andrew gazed about him in almost as much wonder as he’d had in Diagon Alley. On Platform 9 ¾ everyone was in robes, and there were trunks piled high and owls in cages, and grown witches and wizards hugging their children goodbye. Andrew stood still and quiet while Jeremy hugged first his dad and then his mom. Jeremy’s mom was a small woman - as short as Andrew - and Andrew heard her whisper in his new friend’s ear: “It’s okay to hope for Hufflepuff you know.” Andrew watched Jeremy pull back and nod, and then they were off - depositing their trunks with the porter and climbing onto the last of the first year train cars. 

“C’mon Andrew,” Jeremy grinned back at him, as they wove in between chattering students in the aisle, looking for an empty compartment to slip into. At the end of the second car they found one with just a lone occupant and Jeremy poked his head in.

“Mind if we sit with you?” He asked the small girl tucked up in the corner. 

She beamed up at him, her mocha skin and warm brown eyes framed by short rainbow dreadlocks. “Please do,” she said. 

Andrew hesitated in the sliding doorway of the compartment, eyeing the girl. She held his gaze, her face still open and warm, but Andrew saw the steel beneath her smile. He finally stepped in, and let Jeremy take over the introductions as they settled in. 

Turns out Renee (Renee Walker, from Norwich) had learned about magic and Hogwarts the same way Andrew had, on her 11th birthday. Andrew was surprised to learn that Renee had been in the foster care system too, before her mom Stephanie had adopted her. 

Jeremy nodded knowingly at that bit of knowledge. “It happens a lot,” he said. Then wrinkled his nose. “Well, not a lot - but, probably you were both from wizarding families and ended up in muggle homes somehow.” 

Andrew shot him a look at that. “What do you mean by ‘somehow’?” he asked. 

Jeremy hesitated, perhaps realizing he was digging a hole in the wrong direction, but answered him anyway. “Usually if there is an orphaned witch or wizard they’d be taken in by the magical community. We generally keep our affairs separate from the non-magical government. But, it happens sometimes.” 

Andrew digested this, and caught Renee’s glance. He wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was - that someone must have thrown them away on purpose. Before Andrew could dwell on that, or even think about this new knowledge, there was a sharp rap on the glass of their compartment and the door slid open. Andrew tensed. A tall dark haired boy stood in the doorway, his bright green eyes focused on Jeremy. 

“Alright, Knox,” the boy said. 

“Day,” Jeremy responded smoothly. Jeremy sounded calm, but there was the slightest edge to his tone that hadn’t been there all afternoon. 

The boy smirked back at Jeremy after sending a cursory glance around the cabin and clearly dismissing both Andrew and Renee. Andrew noticed that Renee had stiffened slightly at Jeremy’s tone too, and he knew instinctively that - like him - people made the mistake of dismissing Renee and her small size to their own detriment. 

“Think your fancy boy flying techniques are going to cut it on the Gryffindor team? I’ve heard they aren’t even recruiting seekers this year.” 

Jeremy snorted. “Who says I’ll be trying out for the Gryffindor team?” 

“Oh I don’t know Knox, maybe because you can’t do anything without your big sisters to take care of you.” 

“Well, if that is what you think, Day, then clearly you don’t pay much attention beyond the end of your own broom.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the boy demanded. When Jeremy just shrugged and didn’t answer, he took a step into the cabin, which was all the provocation Andrew had been waiting for. 

Before anyone could say or do anything else, Andrew was between Jeremy and the boy, and he shoved hard at his chest. Andrew was fast, and Andrew was strong, but it was probably surprise more than anything else that put the boy on his ass in the hallway. Andrew didn’t move to follow him, just blocked their own doorway, glaring down at the sputtering fool. “Don’t mess with my friend,” he said calmly. “That was a warning. I won’t warn you again.” 

Before the boy could gather his wits to respond, a snort sounded from a few feet away and Andrew realized the redheaded kid from the station was there. “Kevin, what are you doing, come on. I leave you alone for five minutes...” The redhead grinned at Andrew then, “I’m Neil. This is my brother Kevin. He’s harmless.” 

Kevin sputtered some more as Neil grabbed at his elbow, hauling him to his feet. “I’m not harmless,” he muttered grumpily. 

“Yes you are,” Neil rejoined, poking him in his ribs, still grinning at Andrew. “And you are?” 

“Andrew,” he finally conceded. 

“Andrew,” Neil repeated. “Interesting. Well, nice to meet you Andrew.” Neil slid his glance past Andrew’s shoulder and inclined his head. “Jeremy,” he said. 

Andrew realized that Jeremy had stood up and was right behind him. They watched as Neil started dragging Kevin down the aisle, and Andrew saw Kevin’s eyes widen and he did a double take as he walked backwards, staring at Andrew. “Neil,” he said, whispering, but Andrew heard him. “Neil, he looks like…” 

“Shut up Kevin,” Neil ordered, and that was the last Andrew could hear as they stepped through the connecting door to the compartment. Huh. That was weird.

“Andrew, man! You are fast!” Jeremy exclaimed when they sat back down. “Kevin really is harmless - he’s just a bit sore because my team beat his in the little league quidditch finals - but wow! I didn’t even see you move and suddenly you were in front of me! So tell me: what do you know about quidditch?” 

Jeremy’s eyes were shining and Andrew narrowed his own in confusion. “Quidditch?” 

“Oh Andrew. I have so much to tell you. Renee you too. Quidditch is _life,_ and somehow I am thinking that both of you would be really good keepers.” 

“Keepers?” Renee asked, her own eyes narrowed in confusion. Jeremy smiled broadly at both of them and settled in to giving them a quidditch education that lasted the rest of the ride to Hogwarts. 

***

As the boats drew them nearer and nearer to Hogwarts in the shimmering dark, Andrew marvelled not just at the castle glowing welcome in front of him, but also that he had somehow climbed on the train with one brand new friend (his _first_ friend _ever_ ), and had climbed off with two. This couldn’t be real...could it? But the warm presence of Jeremy on one side of him and Renee on the other, along with the salty breeze hitting his face and the hunger in his stomach told him it was. It must be, because Andrew had never dreamed that he was hungry before, and he’d never felt warmth in his dreams, either. 

Up close the castle was imposing, and even Jeremy quieted down as the first years were gathered together and led to the base of the stone stairs leading into what they were told was the great hall. Professor Winfield stood at the top of the stairs, explaining the houses and the sorting hat process. The kids around him tittered and jostled - as most of them were from wizarding families, this wasn’t new to them - but Andrew was rapt, drinking in the information. 

He recognized some of the house names already, and he turned to Jeremy as the Professor listed them. “You are hoping for Hufflepuff?” he asked him quietly, recalling Jeremy’s mom’s words as they were boarding the train. 

Jeremy blushed a bit, and Andrew noted that it was the first time he’d seen him not exude confidence since he’d met him. “My dad and my sisters are Gryffindor,” he whispered back. “But my mom was Hufflepuff. Everyone expects me to be Gryffindor, but…” he trailed off. 

Although he didn’t really know what any of it meant, in that moment Andrew resolutely decided he wanted to be Hufflepuff too. He nodded, and turned back, intending to catch the end of Winfield’s speech when he saw a now-familiar mop of auburn hair heading towards them. 

Neil’s grin was missing, but the intent gaze Andrew’d seen back at the train station had returned. Neil pushed past the last group of first years blocking his way and came to a stop, pulling the boy he’d been dragging up to his side, and Andrew finally caught a look at his face. 

“Aaron, this is Andrew,” Neil said. “Andrew…this is Aaron.” 

Whispers were happening around them, but Andrew couldn’t focus on them. Jeremy had grabbed hold of the edge of his cloak, and Andrew realized he must have swayed a bit. Renee had stepped up to his other side. Andrew was vaguely aware of his friends, but he was frozen, staring into gold-flecked hazel eyes that looked like his, and ash blond hair the same odd shade as his curled around a face that looked just like his own. 

After a moment Kevin came to a flustered halt on the other side of Aaron, whispering fiercely at Neil, “We’re doing this _now_?” 

Neil nodded, his eyes protectively on Aaron beside him, but flicking to Andrew as well. “They were going to see each other at the sorting ceremony, I didn’t want it to be a scene.” 

“What do you think _this_ is?” Kevin muttered, and Andrew stole a quick glance around. 

The students near them had backed away and were throwing them curious glances, but Professor Winfield hadn’t noticed, and the students farther away weren’t paying attention to them at all. 

Aaron found his voice first. “You have my face,” he said slowly. “Who are you?” 

He started to raise his hand up to Andrew, but Jeremy reached out to grab it and push it away, gently. “He doesn’t like to be touched,” Jeremy said. Andrew startled at that - how had his friend noticed already? 

Aaron dropped his hand, still staring. “Who are you?” he asked again. 

Andrew gathered up his effort, squeezed it into his vocal cords. He didn’t talk much on even the best of days, and today had been a lot - this shock, whatever it was - was almost enough to render him nonverbal. “I don’t know,” he finally managed to say. 

Renee was standing sentinel at his other side, and she grabbed the edge of his cloak too, and Andrew teetered between his new friends, staring dumbstruck at his own face looking back at him. “This is strange indeed,” she said calmly, “I’m sure we can figure out some answers together.” 

Neil nodded at her solemnly, catching Jeremy’s gaze as well, as clearly Aaron and Andrew were incapable of anything else, and Kevin was just gaping at them. Any further conversation was cut short as the great doors opened, and they had to scurry to get in place to file alphabetically into the hall. Andrew had a brief moment of panic when he realized he would be separated from Jeremy and Renee, and then he admonished himself that he was being ridiculous - after all he’d survived 11 years with no friends, he could survive a few minutes apart from his new ones. He steeled his nerves, and marched into the great hall of Hogwarts. 

Standing in line though, Andrew was reeling, and he missed most of what Headmaster Wymack said before the sorting ceremony began - his brain stuttering across the knowledge that his doppelgänger was standing in the line somewhere behind him. They had to be related. It was the only thing that made sense. Not only related - they could be - they looked like twins. Andrew didn’t spend a lot of time looking in a mirror, but he did know what he looked like - and he looked just like Aaron. Jeremy had said that a lot of the wizards and witches that came from muggle families had been adopted, or even abandoned - but if he had a twin, why had only one of them been given up? 

He was still lost in his thoughts when his name was called - ANDREW DOE - and he stepped up on the dais, suddenly realizing that everyone at the hall was looking at him. Professor Potter caught his eye from the head table and smiled, and it helped. 

As Andrew turned though, he heard a loud gasp from one of the tables, and when he looked over an older teen was half out of his seat, staring at him. Andrew was getting a little tired of that look, so he snapped his gaze away, back to the line of first years. Aaron had stepped slightly out of position and was also staring at him from farther back in the line. Jeremy’s tentative smile was closer, and it anchored him, but he couldn’t see Renee. Steeling himself, he sat on the stool, and the sorting hat was placed on his head.  
  
“I see,” the voice hummed into his ear. “Very interesting.”

Andrew stilled. He’d heard the hat calling out houses as it had sorted the first years in front of him, but he hadn’t realized the hat was _talking_ to the students, too. Was he supposed to respond?

“Nothing to say, huh?” the voice chuckled in his ear. “Well no bother, the answer’s pretty clear if you know where to look, and I always know where to look when I am on your head. A little this way, a little that, and things might have been different, but...” 

There was a pregnant pause, and Andrew hoped and _hoped_ , and for a moment forgot about Aaron and Neil and everything. When the sorting hat shouted, “Hufflepuff!” Andrew caught Jeremy’s triumphant grin, and he let out a quick sigh of relief. 

The Hufflepuff tables erupted in cheers. In a daze, Andrew stumbled towards them, like he’d seen the first years before him join their tables. He sat down in the open seat farthest from the dais, and tried to settle as the next student took the stairs, but a jostling near him and several “ _heys!_ ” and _“watch its!”_ happened, and suddenly the teen was sitting next to him, a hand on each of Andrew’s shoulders. 

“Andrew,” the teen stuttered out, as the sorting hat shouted “ _Ravenclaw!_ ” behind them. 

Andrew shrugged out of the teen’s grip, and when he started to grab him again, Andrew gifted him with the meanest glare he could muster. “Don’t touch me,” he demanded. 

The teen pulled back, hands held in the air carefully. “Okay, _okay_ ,” he said. “I’m Nicky,” he said, and then paused, and Andrew was horrified to note that tears were welling up in Nicky’s eyes.

Andrew pulled back further, wrapping his arms around his body, and he knew he was three seconds away from a full blown panic. Something must have shown in his eyes, because Nicky scooted away a few inches, his hands still up in a placating manor. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” He said, but Nicky’s eyes said that it was anything but, as actual tears started spilling down his cheeks. “Don’t move, okay?” 

And where, exactly, did he think Andrew would go? Nicky jumped up from the table, heading to the side stairs of the dias, and Andrew’s gaze wandered over to the center just in time to see Jeremy step up, to see him take a seat, to see the sorting hat placed on his head. 

Jeremy’s gaze locked with Andrew’s, and now Andrew could see the conversation taking place, the muttering of his friend’s lips, the sorting hat’s features scrunching as it hunched down further on Jeremy’s head. Suddenly Andrew’s gaze was torn in two directions on the stage - Nicky, whispering in Professor Potter’s ear, Potter’s gaze sharp on Andrew’s own face, and the drawn out tableau taking place in the middle of the dais. 

As far as Andrew could tell, Jeremy’s time under the sorting hat was taking longer than anyone else who had gone before them. Whispers started whipping through the room before suddenly a hush went over the students. Nicky had worked his way back down the stage, was inching his way back towards Andrew, but that wasn’t what the students were watching with bated breath. 

A minute. Then another. Then a third. Then suddenly the sorting hat opened its creaky mouth and shouted, “HUFFLEPUFF!” A cheer erupted louder than any that had occurred so far, and the frizzy haired girl across from Andrew leaned towards him shouting, “That’s the first hatstall that’s gone our way in years!” 

(The first _who what_?) But really Andrew didn’t care, because Jeremy was coming towards him now, and his smile was transcendent, and when he sat down next to Andrew it forced Nicky to the other side of him. Nicky kept trying to catch Andrew’s eye, but they were all so swept up in the new first years joining their ranks - one of the last of whom was Renee - that Andrew was able to avoid his gaze for the rest of the sorting ceremony. 

It wasn’t until the feast was over (and Andrew had tried to eat everything in front of him, aware that it was the first meal he’d ever had where he could have all he wanted without running out of options or portions or anyone stopping him) that Professor Potter stood at his shoulder, smiling down at him carefully. Nicky stood then, throwing a soft look at Andrew and then jumping up to head over towards Aaron - who Andrew was keenly aware had been sorted into Ravenclaw. 

“Andrew,” Professor Potter said, and his tone was kind. “Would you come with me?” It was a request, but it also wasn’t, and Andrew stood automatically, his body following _that tone_ before his mind could register. 

Jeremy stood up quickly beside him, Renee following suit. “Can we come with him Professor?” he asked, and Jeremy’s tone was brave, and fierce. Potter quirked an eyebrow at Andrew, and Andrew was struck again at how this man, _this adult_ , gave him choices. _Do you want them to come with you?_ that eyebrow asked. Andrew was startled to realize that he did. He nodded, and Potter nodded. “Alright, fine,” he said, that brow quirking again with some curious memory, “yes, of course. All three of you come along now.” 

***

It had been a long day - full of magic, but also confusion - and it wasn’t over yet. Andrew stood in Headmaster Wymack’s office and he wondered if this was like getting sent to the principal’s office on the first day of school. 

Headmaster Wymack didn’t look like any principal Andrew had ever seen before though; his hair was long and pulled back in a ponytail, and Andrew could see strange tattoos curling out from the sleeves of his dark grey robes. Most importantly, Wymack’s smile was akin to Potter’s - Andrew couldn’t see the lie in it. 

The Headmaster’s office also didn’t look like any principal’s office that Andrew had ever seen (and the truth is he’d seen the inside of quite a few). The ceiling soared above them into a turret, and it was everything Andrew could do not to gape at the magical bobs and bits and things that were scattered about, at the paintings on the walls that moved like television, and - was that a _phoenix_ ruffling its feathers on the stand behind Wymack? 

Andrew and Jeremy and Renee had arrived with Professor Potter first. Nicky walked in shortly after, with Aaron and Neil behind him. 

“Wonderful, looks like we are all here,” Wymack said, eyeing Neil. “Plus a party crasher it seems.” 

Neil just jut his chin out, and stepped forward to grab Aaron’s hand in his own defiantly. “I am Aaron’s best friend. This seems like best friend business,” he declared, cutting his eyes meaningfully over to Jeremy and Renee. Andrew thought he heard Potter huff a laugh from behind him, but he didn’t turn around, keeping his eyes trained on Aaron. 

“Headmaster, I believe Nicky can shed some light on this situation for us. It seems that these two have never met before today, which is clearly an odd turn of events, wouldn’t you say?” Potter asked. 

“Hmm, yes quite odd,” Wymack agreed, looking between the two of them. “Well, Nicky?” 

Andrew dragged his eyes away from Aaron to watch Nicky step forward, and Andrew was relieved to see that his tears had at least dried up. In fact, Nicky had squared his shoulders and his face was determined - he looked like a whole other person than the one that had grabbed him in the hall. 

“I am Aaron’s cousin, although our family is a bit estranged. My Aunt Tilda - Aaron’s mom - she married a muggle, and he took off before Aaron was born.” Andrew saw Aaron wince slightly out of the corner of his eye, but Nicky kept going. 

“My parents are, well, they seem to think being pureblood is more important than family, and they never forgave Tilda. But I don’t agree.” Nicky’s declaration didn’t invite an argument. “Aaron and I have met secretly a few times the last two years - usually at Neil’s house since he lives right next door. When the owl came with Aaron’s Hogwarts letter last year I knew we could really try to be family once he was here.” Nicky smiled at Aaron then and Aaron smiled tentatively back. 

Andrew swallowed his jealousy and waited; somewhere in this was his story too, it had to be. Nicky turned back to Headmaster Wymack then, and hesitated. Potter came up and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay Nicky, you aren’t going to get in trouble. Tell the Headmaster what you told me.” 

Nicky straightened his shoulders again and plowed ahead. “I broke into Aunt Tilda’s house last year, right after Aaron got his letter. I thought - I know it sounds stupid, but I thought maybe Aaron’s dad wasn’t really a muggle. I wanted to find his birth certificate so I could prove it to my stupid, bigoted parents, and maybe we could be one big happy family.” Nicky’s tone grew a little bitter, but he shook it off. “I did find his birth certificate. In fact I found two - one for Aaron Michael Minyard…” Nicky turned towards Andrew, “and one for Andrew Joseph Minyard.” 

Everyone went quite still after that, and the words started playing on a loop in Andrew’s brain. Andrew. Joseph. Minyard. Andrew. Joseph. Minyard. Andrew Joseph Minyard who had a brother. But. Andrew fisted his hands in his robes. He was very quickly running out of his quota of words for the day, and he still had so many questions. He finally lifted his chin and asked what felt like the most important one: “How did I get lost then?” 

Nicky looked at him, and the tears were back in his eyes. Suddenly Andrew wished he hadn’t asked the question, but he had to know. _He had to._ “There was other paperwork filed away with the birth certificates,” Nicky finally said. “Tilda gave you both up for adoption.” Andrew heard Aaron squeak at that, but he kept his eyes on Nicky. “I don’t know. Andrew I am sorry, I am so so sorry. She gave you both up, but she must have had some regret, because she went back for Aaron. Only Aaron.” 

Of course, Andrew thought. _Of course._ The room was finally silent - or no, Andrew realized it wasn’t, his ears were just buzzing so loudly he couldn’t hear anything more. He could see that Headmaster Wymack was talking, and so was Nicky, and Professor Potter. But it didn’t matter, because Andrew had been thrown away. He’d known - he’d always _known_. But there was a difference between knowing a thing and having it confirmed. 

Andrew startled when cool fingers touched the back of his clenched fist, and he looked at Jeremy. “Can I hold your hand?” Jeremy asked him. Stunned, Andrew nodded. 

On the other side of him Renee tugged on his sleeve. “Me too?” she asked. Andrew just nodded again. He wasn’t sure if anyone had ever held his hand before, and now both his hands were occupied with the warm grasps of his friends. 

“Andrew?” he realized Professor Potter was calling his name. “Does that sound okay to you?” 

He must have looked thoroughly confused, because Jeremy leaned over to whisper loudly in his ear: “The grown ups are sending us to bed, so they can talk about this without having to watch what they say.” 

Potter huffed that laugh again, “Well, yes Jeremy, that’s about the right end of it.” Andrew just nodded. Bed sounded like an amazing idea right now. He looked over at Aaron not sure what he was looking for, but Aaron smiled the smallest of smiles back at him and Andrew recognized the tinder of hope in it. A little bit of warmth flooded into him, and while Andrew couldn’t manage a smile right then, he nodded solemnly at his brother. 

Wymack asked Nicky to stay for a moment, and the five first years were sent out to the hallway to wait. As he was filing out the door, Andrew suddenly realized there was potential for a big problem, and he turned back around quickly. “Professor Potter? Does this mean you are going to tell my foster parents?” 

Potter exchanged a long look with Wymack and then shook his head. “No Andrew. Here at Hogwarts we generally keep things to ourselves as much as we can - only involving the parents when absolutely necessary. I don’t think this requires parents until we get a bit more information. Would you agree?” 

“Yes,” Andrew said, relieved. 

Potter smiled at him. “It’s going to be okay Andrew.” Andrew nodded, and then slipped out the door, closing it carefully behind him. The other four were standing close together, and Andrew joined them, tucking himself between Jeremy and Renee. 

Aaron was staring at him again, and suddenly Neil grinned widely. “We’re all going to be friends,” he declared. “Best friends.”

“Are we?” Andrew asked, not convinced. 

“Yes,” Neil affirmed resolutely. 

Jeremy hummed. “A Slytherin, a Ravenclaw, and three Hufflepuffs. Sounds like the start of a really bad joke.”

Neil was already shaking his head, still smiling. “No, it sounds like the start of a really great story.” He winked at Andrew. 

“Andrew?” Aaron cut in. “I- are you okay?”

Andrew had no idea how to answer that question. He shrugged and took a step closer to Aaron. “I don’t know,” he said. That seemed to be all he could say to his brother. His _brother._

“That’s okay,” Aaron said firmly, drawing himself up. “I don’t know either. I am- I know there is a lot to talk about, but...” He paused. “I always wanted a brother,” he finally whispered. 

Andrew nodded. He hadn’t always wanted a brother because he never knew he could want a brother. Andrew had wanted a family that would keep him, Andrew had wanted a home, Andrew had wanted to be safe. Maybe a brother could mean all of those things. He didn’t know how to say that though, so he just said, “Me too.”

It seemed to be enough, because Aaron’s face blossomed into a smile. Andrew was saved from having to try to say more when the door opened again behind them, and Nicky and Professor Potter came out. Nicky’s face was ashen, but he was calm and quiet. 

“It’s been quite a lot for one day,” Potter declared. “So let’s get you all off to bed. We’ll talk more tomorrow. Nicky? If you will take these three to the Hufflepuff dormitory please. Aaron and Neil, I’ll escort you two.”

“Just a moment Professor, if you don’t mind?” Neil said, not waiting for a response before he grabbed Andrew’s robe and tugged him away from the group. For some reason Andrew let himself be pulled along - he blamed it on shock. Neil tucked them into an alcove, and grinning at Andrew, pulled a kitten out of his robes - a _different_ kitten than the one Andrew had seen at the train station. Both of his eyebrows rose up unwillingly. 

“You didn’t bring an animal with you, did you?” Neil asked. Andrew shook his head, and Neil thrust the kitten at him. “This is King. He’s yours now. I have his brother, Sir.”

Andrew thought that this might just be the last straw, this kitten wiggling in his arms. He might not have always known he wanted a brother, but he had always known he’d wanted a cat - and now this auburn haired menace had brought him both. “Why?” Andrew finally managed. 

Neil cocked his head, considering him seriously. “Because you are Aaron’s brother, and Aaron is my best friend, which means _we_ are going to be best friends too. Because Kevin and Aaron wanted owls. Because these kittens are brothers and I didn’t want to split them up and technically I am not allowed to keep both of them. Because- “ Neil’s grin started to slide back into place, “because clearly King wants to be _yours_.” 

The kitten - King - had curled up in the crook of Andrew’s arm and settled, purring contentedly. Swallowing, Andrew nodded. He was officially out of words. He tucked King into the folds of his robe, careful not to jostle him, and followed Neil back to the group. 

Exhaustion had finally settled over Andrew and he followed Nicky and his friends to the Hufflepuff dormitory in a daze, barely registering when Renee squeezed his hand and headed off to the girl’s side. Nicky led Andrew and Jeremy to their room and patted Andrew awkwardly on the shoulder when he’d stepped away from his cousin’s hug. 

Their things were already in the room, and briefly Andrew wondered at the fact that he got to room with his new friend - yet another piece of magic. Jeremy flopped into the four poster bed across the room, and Andrew settled a bit more carefully into the other before pulling King out of his robes. He mewed quietly, but Jeremy heard it and he lifted his head to look over. “Where did you get _that_?” Andrew shrugged, but he felt a small grin tugging at his mouth. Jeremy grinned back at him. “Fine, don’t tell me. I’m knackered anyway, I can imagine you are too.” Andrew nodded. “ Let’s get some sleep - we’ve got quite a year ahead of us Andrew. It’s going to be marvelous.” 

Finally curled up in his own bed, with Jeremy snoring softly across the room and King snuggled against his neck, Andrew allowed his brain to replay the day. That morning he’d woken up with no friends, with no family. Now, he was tucked away in a magic castle, and he had a brother, a cousin, two new friends, King, and potentially a Neil, too. It was surreal and a lot to take in, but with a tentative hope growing in his heart, Andrew had to agree with Jeremy: it was going to be a marvelous year. 

  
  



End file.
